A lifer expat mummy in Kuwait blogging on things to do in Kuwait for kids and adults, places to visit, fun and cultural events, general info, shopping bargains and interesting stuff. Email: LWDLIK@gmail.com

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Ready to get fit and healthier after the summer? Take a look to our New Free Activities: Mondays/ 7h30pm: “Smart Walking”. Just walking, that is all! Perfect for those who want to exercise softly and socialize. Saturdays/ 7h30am: “Introduction to running”. The running groups are too hard for you? Let’s start with the basics! And if you already have some experience running, you can join @kuwait_running_group. They have weekly groups for 5 and 10km! Stay tuned at @RunQ8 and @fsri for more info next days!

Saturday, August 29, 2015

And here we are again, welcome to the 2015 season.Hitting the ground running with a marvelous gesture from the organisers of the big bazaar - A hefty discount on some tables for artists, crafters and small independent businesses along with a competition for them to try and win their stall for free! But don't dawdle, entries should be in by September 4th. Regular tables have just been released for sale too so book early on the numbers below for the best positions.

Friday, August 28, 2015

The photo of Abdul, a Palestinian-Syrian refugee, selling pens on the streets of Beirut went viral this week. Gissur Simonarson shared the photo on Twitter and was so overwhelmed by the amount of people who wanted to help he set up a crowdfunding page to do just that. More than $50,000 was raised in less than 24 hours. The follow up pics are on the Twitter account @Buy_Pens.

EPI-7 proudly presents MMA legend Wanderlei Silva for the first time in Kuwait. Wanderlei Silva will be hosting a 2-day seminar from September 16 to 17 in Kuwait at the Tae Kwon Do & Judo Federation Hall in Sabah Al-Salem area.For more information contact 99765254 / 55110101/ 66227776

Sunday, August 23, 2015

This is a 1½ tour of one of Kuwait’s most famous landmarks. Ladies are required to cover - long sleeves and long ankle length skirt, otherwise the mosque will provide a cloak. If you have your own scarf you’re welcome to bring it.

Cameras are allowed. Children are welcome.

This tour meets directly at the Grand Mosque

2. GUIDED TOUR: HAMED AL-FUZIA MUSEUM FOR ANTIQUES

Fee: KD 3 per person

The tour will start at 5 pm on Monday, September 14, 2015

Opened by a Kuwaiti gentleman in his own home, this museum has an excellent collection of Kuwaiti antiques with a section of the museum dedicated to his relatives who died during the invasion of Kuwait. Join us as he recounts stories about Kuwait and about the antiques housed in the museum.

Do you know the relationship between geographical locations and the climate of dust storms?What is the probability of sand storms’ recurrence in 2016?Do you know anything about the mechanics of sand/dust storms?What the health hazards associated with sandstorms are?And what should be the protective measures against them?

Dr. Muhammad is a Petroleum Geologist holding a PhD and MS in Petroleum Geology from the Imperial College, University of London. He lectured on Petroleum Geology and established the Department of Petroleum Geology, Institute of Earth Sciences, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, conducted E&P research at Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. He designed in-house structural, geothermal, geological, geochemical and petro physical computer programs and used several generations of industrial software packages.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

This is my new haunt, I'm in love with the place, I've been twice in two days and need to go back again soon. It has the most exquisite wallpapers, furniture, kitchens, flooring, curtains, well trained staff, very helpful manned phone line (that couldn't connect me at the time as line busy but called me back in 2 minutes having connected me to the person I needed to talk to), a spacious interior, very welcome free water, coffee and dates for customers, a well stocked café serving delicious food, a fun kids play area with it's own bathroom, covered car parking, and it had what I've been looking for all over Kuwait - Chalkboard paint. My latest project is to paint two walls of my daughter's room as she keeps writing on them and now she can write all she likes. This Rust-Oleum Black Chalkboard paint creates a tough, scratch-resistant finish, with a writeable/wipe able chalkboard surface on a wide range of surfaces.

Coverage disclaimer: Coverage is dependent on the kind of surface being painted and should be used as a guide only

Drying time: Touch dry in 30 - 60 minutes

Time to recoat: 2 hours

Number of coats recommended: 2

Washable: Yes

Priced around KD 7.750

The paint is really simple to use, no smell, washes off easily. Very pleased with the results. Just need to locate chalk pens now.More details, products, timings and a map for Abyat http://www.abyatonline.comTel. 18 48 000It's a 9/10 for the whole shopping experience and the new chalkboard walls.

At SIK Kids classes and workshops combines theater games, improv, costume play and character creation with music and theater related art projects. Students form their own “theatre company” for the term, write scenes and short plays with their director, learn songs and dance and are introduced to different styles of theater through engaging games. Our kids classes take place on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and are split by age group.We believe in building performers not egos, turning show-offs into show-ready actors, and nurturing the performer in all children regardless of their natural talent. Our classes are designed to instill a passion for the Arts along with the discipline required to be a good performer. Along the way we build confidence, vocal and movement skills and the ability to work as part of a team.The first session of each term is a combined session for all ages. The new term begins on September 15th, 5pm at the SIK Studio, Fintas. Pre-registration is required for all attendees. [Link]

Saturday, August 15, 2015

The very popular Breakfast Club in Fintas has been open for a few years now I'd meant to get myself down there to try it out but just never got around to it. So I was delighted when they opened a branch in KIPCO Tower in Sharq which is really convenient for me. Not so delighted when we tried twice to visit for breakfast only to find the place had a waiting list and a seating time of between 20-30 minutes. I don't do queues and my 12 year old doesn't have the patience so we ended up going elsewhere. Although a sure sign the food at Breakfast Club must be really good.We did get lucky on our third attempt. The restaurant was packed at 12 noon on a week day with people enjoying brunch. A varied menu on a mini iPad from poached eggs to pasta. We decided to order the Big Sandwich and the Nutella Zeppole. Service was a bit slow but the place was full so understandable I suppose but my rumbling tummy and my daughter's salivating at all the delicious looking dishes wafting past us made every minute we waited agonizing. The Big Sandwich is good for sharing and comes with perfect fries. It was fabulous. A nice sweet, fresh brioche/Challah type bread with fried egg, bacon, melted cheese and some other stuff in there but it was gone and a mere pleasant satisfying memory in no time. The zeppole (Italian deep-fried doughnut type pastries) were too moist/doughy. My daughter polished them off - probably because of the Nutella. So I could hardly complain to the waiter. My other critique would be that the latte didn't have enough milk.Would definitely go back to try the Kinder pancakes which I've been dreaming about but will call ahead to try to avoid waiting. It's a 9/10 from me.KIPCO Tower, 1st Floor, Tel. 2294 3212.Fintas, Block 1, Street 4, Tel. 9881 3220.

Okay, so last year was fun with two super holidays but I was consequently, unceremoniously fired by my husband from my job as travel director. I was never very good with numbers and can not stay within a set budget (not even vaguely close). I think our trip to Vegas, the previous year, was the beginning of the end for me. Awesome memories though. The thought of spending the summer here filled me doom and gloom. And to realise that my housekeeper was going away for two months holiday, and leaving it all to me, was the last straw. Or so I thought...What really happened was a small and welcome epiphany. Actually getting off my fat arse and doing my own housework was really very satisfying. Did I say that? A small workout plus a great sense of achievement. My husband chipped in with some of the cooking and dishwashing but he stopped offering unwanted advice when I threatened him with the mop. I felt much more appreciated and was certainly taken more seriously (the mop incident I think). My daughter had chores to do and did moan a bit prior to doing them but once she got cracking she seemed to enjoy them and was very proud of herself. Even after she fractured her wrist (her cousin fell on her) she still did a few chores and now believes me when I say that vacuuming can be done with one good hand.Team W can really work well together. Who knew? I think my husband is relieved that I wasn't crying everyday of summer which, of course, has taken the pressure of him too. We've actually had a pretty relaxed time. Would I do it again? Not willingly. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be and I am grateful for the respect, appreciation and participation from my team.Plenty of fun stuff to do with the kids: Movie Mondays, Trampo Tuesdays, ice skating, beach, pool, Kidzania, cooking, baking and selling cookies, LoYAC, summer camps, Make Meaning in 360 Mall, boat trips, healthy lunches at Pick Yo, weekends with friends & family and loads more..

The theory behind the very trendy high-protein/low-carb Paleo diet is that we should mimic the diets of our Paleolithic ancestors, eating mainly meat, fish, and a restricted list of pre-agricultural vegetables and fruit. (There is some debate within the Paleo community about which starchy vegetables and how much of them are Paleo-approved, but most recommend limiting them if not barring them entirely.) But according to a new study in The Quarterly Review of Biology, the low-carb interpretation of the paleolithic menu is probably all wrong. The researchers posit that our cavemen and cavewoman ancestors loved—and needed—carbs as much as we do, even if they gathered them instead of cultivated them.

Based on a review of archaeological, genetic and physiological evidence, the researchers found that “plant carbohydrates and meat were both necessary and complementary dietary components” in the evolution of humans. Examination of 3-million-year-old teeth and the plant-life in the regions where our ancestors lived also signal that they were eating tubers and other starchy vegetables.

The root vegetables many modern Paleo dieters avoid likely played a key role in the original Paleo diet for a number of reasons. Because these plants grow underground, they were likely a key source of nutrition for our gathering forebears, who could dig them up as needed, the researchers say, and probably hunted much less than once thought.

“Although meat may have been a preferred food, the energy expenditure required to obtain it may have been far greater than that used for collecting tubers from a reliable source,” the researchers write. (Worth noting: The researchers believe the tubers were collected by postmenopausal women, who shared them with the younger female relatives, which in turn, allowed them to have more babies. Men are not mentioned.)

Nutritional requirements and evolutionary evidence also support the idea that cavemen did not live on meat alone. As the brain grew during this period, more energy was needed, and it likely came from carbohydrates, not protein, too much of which can be toxic to the human body and even cause death.

This is further supported by evidence of two other major developments at the time: Saliva was evolving to better break down starch-rich plants, and our forebears were learning to cook. Both of these factors converged to make the vegetables tastier and easier to digest, providing the necessary energy for brain growth. These starchy plants also likely supported “improved reproductive functions,” including fetal growth and extra calories for lactating mothers.